Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploring Nurses' Attitudes Toward Assisted Suicide: A Study Of Nurses Working With Terminally Ill Patients, Marjie L. Schoolfield

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Physician-assisted suicide, legalized in many states is becoming an option for patients diagnosed with a terminal illness. Nurse participation in physician-assisted suicide is not supported through state nurse practice acts or national nursing organizations, causing potential contradictions in practice rights for advanced practice nurses. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of registered and advanced practice nurses who work with the terminally ill regarding the patient option of physician-assisted suicide. This quantitative research was conducted with hospice registered nurses employed by a hospice organization in the Midwest and included participants from states where physician-assisted suicide is legal, …